Any Man's Death

Peter Macklin #3

by Loren D. Estleman

Peter Macklin, an assassin for organized crime, is assigned to prevent the killing of an outspoken TV evangelist by a rival gang, only to learn the rival killer is his teenage son

Genres: Mystery, Fiction

224 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1986

About the author

Loren D. Estleman is an American writer of detective and Western fiction. He writes with a manual typewriter.

Estleman is most famous for his novels about P.I. Amos Walker. Other series characters include Old West marshal Page Murdock and hitman Peter Macklin. He has also written a series of novels about the history of crime in Detroit (also the setting of his Walker books.) His non-series works include Bloody Season, a fictional recreation of the gunfight at the O.K. Corral, and several novels and stories featuring Sherlock Holmes.

Series:
* Amos Walker Mystery
* Valentino Mystery
* Detroit Crime Mystery
* Peter Macklin Mystery
* Page Murdock Mystery

Reviews

[Bill · Rating 3 out of 5]

Any Man's Death by Loren D. Estleman is the 3rd book in the Pete Macklin mystery series set in Detroit. Pete Macklin is a hit man who decided to become an independent. In this convoluted but entertaining story, Macklin is hired by 'retired' gang boss, Bonifacio (newly out of prison) to take a hit on his rival, Maggiore. Maggiore ran the 'business' while Bonifacio was in prison but basically took over. Bonifacio wants his revenge.

As well, ex rocker, now priest, Rev Sunsmith is campaigning to defeat a bill that would permit legal gambling in Detroit. After a failed assassination attempt during one of his services, Macklin's son, Roger, a recovering heroin addict, is hired to take a hit on him. (Relations between Pete and his son are not good).

Into the mix are Police Inspector Pontier and his right hand man, Sgt Lovelady, who is months from retirement. They are trying to solve the failed hit on Sunsmith and keep the city safe. (two of my favorite characters actually. It's nice when a story has smart cops)

So you've got Macklin arranging the hit on Maggiore, his son working out his plans for Sunsmith and the cops trying to figure out who wants Sunsmith dead. It's all fascinating, lots of twists and turns, pyramid schemes, gang warfare (on a small scale) and a neat look at Macklin's life, his skill, his technique. All of the other characters are well-crafted. Let's not forget as well, beautiful Carmen Thallberg, millionaire investor to Sunsmith's cause / scheme. Not a woman to cross.

The story moves between characters smoothly and is so well written. Entertaining with a somewhat quick ending but still satisfying. (3.5 stars)

[Spike · Rating 1 out of 5]

I've read a few other Estleman books. On the back, a blurb compares him to Elmore Leonard.
No--just no. Dropping the names of a bunch of Detroit landmarks and pulling cardboard characters from the stencil does not an Elmore Leonard make.
I do like some of his other work, but this was simply bad. I am keeping it around, however, as a working illustration of what can go wrong when writing crime fiction.

[Adrian Brown · Rating 3 out of 5]

From my uncle. Was mostly interesting because it's set in Detroit.

[Chuck · Rating 3 out of 5]

Was decent but ending felt confusing, feels like the final pages were missing

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good reading.

[Eric_W · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another superb Peter Macklin novel. This has it all: tight writing, sardonic humor (the scene where a hitman hired to kill the mob leader is shot by a cop hanging out in a hotel lobby, who is shot by another undercover cop watching for someone else, who is shot by - you guessed it - an off duty FBI agent working as a security man for the hotel, and the desk clerk who shoots himself in the foot with his .25 peashooter), and a nicely convoluted plot involving an evangelist running a Ponzi scheme. In the meantime, the police, Macklin, and others are doing their best to keep the Reverend Thomas Aquinas Sunsmith alive. Lots of other people want the contrary. Some terrific scenes and wonderful language. Some will not like the ending. Tough.

Besides, how can you not like a book that makes a reference to Aimee Semple Mc Pherson. (pg 174)

Sister Aimee: The Life of Aimee Semple McPherson

[Ron · Rating 1 out of 5]

I only made it through the first chapter and had to quit. It appeared to me to be very poorly written.